Let's say we get serious about the gospel, and how our understanding of grace impacts our evangelism...will we still share the gospel?

I hope in future posts to flush out how a balanced Calvinism should help our evangelism, apologetics, and other areas of life and ministry. Some personal thoughts on evangelism:

First, we want results; we want people to bow to Jesus – but our measure of success is not response, but faithful presentation.

Second, we want people to respond immediately to God, not to us. The biblical pattern is urgency (Heb 3:15), but we must not presume on the Lord's work, because the Spirit blows where he wills (Jn 3:7-8). By all means, if somebody is crying out in distress, “What must I do to be saved?” tell him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) But remember that others are not yet broken and need to be told, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow [Jesus].” (Mt 19:21) Don't give people a pattern or a prayer, point them to Jesus and let him deal with them. We're not their mediator!

Third, while hesitant about “relational evangelism,” I believe the biblical pattern for most Christians is evangelism in the context of life's everyday interactions and relationships. The keystone verse for our Christian systems of intellectual persuasion (“apologetics”) – “Always be ready to give a reason for the hope...” (1 Pe 3:13), is actually not calling us to equip ourselves with archeological evidence that “proves” Christianity to be true. Rather, because God chose us to be a people who declare his gracious excellencies (1 Pe 2:9), Peter is calling us to let a living hope inspire holy living that baffles our neighbors. When Jesus's people start giving up “the passions of the flesh” (1 Pe 1:14; 2:11) because we've got better pleasures waiting; when we start following Jesus in suffering meekly, even when misunderstood and maligned (1 Pe 2:21); when Christian wives quit trying to manipulate and graciously submit to insensitive husbands (1 Pe 3:1-2); when I can love you genuinely, sacrificially, because I have nothing to protect down here (1 Pe 1:22) – the unbelieving world's gonna wonder what's up. Somebody who's dropping Benjamins like a wannabe drops names is either tripping or he's got bank to back it. Peter says in 3:15-16, “If you're living right, they're gonna be asking you what you're banking on...be ready to talk about Jesus and holiness and heaven and love.”

That said, some use “relational evangelism” as an excuse to never talk about Jesus. “My life is my witness” is often a cover for cowardly Christianity. If your life revolves around Jesus, he's gonna come up in conversation. Nevertheless, both holy living and holy conversation require intentionality.

Per Futurepastorswife's request, here's a gospel conversation I had with a 20 yr. old coworker named Steve. Please understand that, although I do most of the talking here, I had listened for a long time as he talked about himself.

(In dialogue leading up to the gospel-heart of the conversation, Steve made some reference to drinking alcohol and then apologized somewhat because “I know you’re not into that…”)

Sure. In the Bible, there’s a part where it’s talking about all the good things God gives his creatures and it says he’s given wine to gladden the heart of man. And it was God who came up with the idea of sex. We could have reproduced in a hundred ways, but God chose a way that was intensely enjoyable. See, God’s not out to ruin all our fun. He created the world to be enjoyed. People that just focus on a bunch of negative rules miss that.

Yeah, I see that

Of course, there are rules. There’s a reason I’m a virgin. There’s a reason I work hard.

(Here, he noted that I was about the hardest worker in our area and I was able to give glory to Christ, I hope)

But what I want to focus on is the passion behind the rules. What is keeping me from going out and getting laid tonight? A lot of people focus on the rules and lose the gospel of Jesus Christ. A bunch of rules doesn’t get me excited. What gets me excited is the fact that I used to be a rebel against God and now I’m forgiven. You might not have thought I was so bad, but the Bible describes all of us as rebels in a crowd of rebels following the devil, the prince of rebels. Well this means we’re all pretty jacked up, because God has promised himself to kill rebels. The Bible says the paycheck we get sinning is death. But, see, God didn’t leave me there. Jesus came to take the place of sinners like me. I could never do enough good to make God like me, but when I quit trying to make myself good enough for him and accepted what Jesus did, he took away all my sin. All this crap I was living for was placed on Jesus and he died in my place. Then he put all of Christ Jesus’s good works in my bank account. It’s like I had on this skank nasty hoodie with crap all over it and Jesus traded it for his brand new hoodie.

Huh, I've never heard it put that way...

“INNER CITY EVANGELISM PROJECT SEES 260 PEOPLE RECEIVE CHRIST”

A headline like that reminds us where the real action is, right? Why do we spend so much time wrangling over theological systems like Calvinism when there's work to be done?

Here's why...

Relating one conversion, the BP news article on this outreach to Los Angeles tells how a young man named Allan came to Christ at a bus stop. When approached and asked by an evangelist whether he was “50, 75, or 100 percent sure” he would go to heaven when he died, he shook his head confused. The volunteer quickly laid out the plan of salvation and then asked “if there was any reason why he would not want to receive the gift of eternal life.” “Allan replied, 'I can't think of a reason.' So on the City of Angels' busy Vermont Street, at a smoky bus stop, Allan prayed to received Jesus Christ.”

Seriously...somebody who “can't think of a reason” why not to accept Christ doesn't know enough to receive Christ. I can think of several reasons that any responsible evangelist should feel obligated to share. How about,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23)

or

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves...
and you will be hated by all for name's sake.” (Mt 10:16-20)

or

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted.” (2 Tim 3:12)

Don't get me wrong. I know I need to be bolder in sharing the gospel; but “evangelism” like that is not merely deficient, it's dangerous. We have a nation full of people who have been inoculated to the gospel by false assurance. The next time Allan is bothered by a nosy Christian, he can say, “Yeah, I've done that.”

This is where our “theology,” our view of what salvation is, laces its Nikes and starts walking. If we view conversion mainly as a decision, we must large-heartedly affirm the salvation of masses of “converts” who have no resurrection power in them, whose lives look just like the world, and who are going to hell. We make the new birth something man does rather than a work of God (1 Pe 1:3; Jn 1:13; Eph 2:4) and end up with Barna polls showing that “born again Christians” are just as immoral as the world. Didn't Jesus save us to make a people “zealous for good works”? (Tit 2:11-14; Eph 2:10) Is this just a pathetic wish or does the Lord get what he wants?

Aight...here's a sample...Be kind to a suburban white boy